Big Ten notebook: Hello, my name is Coach

Big Ten coaches might soon need to wear name tags on the sidelines. Three make their debuts this weekend when the college football season kicks off.

Todd Porter

Big Ten coaches might soon need to wear name tags on the sidelines. Three make their debuts this weekend when the college football season kicks off.
Say hello to Mark Dantonio at Michigan State, Bill Lynch at Indiana and Tim Brewster in Minnesota. Combined with last year’s three rookies in Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema, Ron Zook from Illinois and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, it makes a relatively fresh-looking conference.
What’s it like being charge of your sideline for the first time?
“It was a little bit different for me,” Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr said. “I was an assistant coach and interim coach. ... I had the benefit of taking over a team that I coached on. I knew all the players. I knew a lot of the things you typically have to learn once you start the season.”
The Wolverines finished 9-4 in Carr’s first season in 1995, tied for third place in the Big Ten. His first game was memorable. Michigan came from behind to beat Virginia, 18-17, in the final seconds.
Saturday should be far less dramatic. Michigan opens with defending Division I-AA national champion Appalachian State.
Ohio State’s Jim Tressel recalls that first week in 2001 as a blur.
“I remember thinking about we were going to come out of the locker room, how we were going to align ourselves on the sideline and how we were going to communicate,” he said.
The Buckeyes won 28-14 against Akron. Three days later, 9/11 changed the world.
“Some of the things that are different is the pace at which things happen and the grandeur,” Tressel said. “It’s loud. It’s hurried. It seems like everything happens at the speed of sound.”
Lynch is taking over under similar circumstance that Fitzgerald did last season. Former Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner died in June from a brain tumor. Fitzgerald took over the Northwester program when Randy Walker had a heart attack and died.
This has been an emotional camp for the Hoosiers, and it figures to the be same Saturday against Indiana State.
“A lot of that will come to a head Saturday when we play for the first time,” Lynch said. “We’ve gone through the different stages going back to the spring when he couldn’t coach to wondering if he would ever coach, and then he passed away in June. ... Terry had such an impact on this program, and everybody is going to feel it Saturday.”
Becoming a head coach means the responsibility and praise falls on the top man’s shoulders, not to mention all the organization that comes with the job.
Lynch knows his life will be different. Coaching in the Big Ten brings with it large fan bases, which isn’t always a selling point.
“You feel more responsibility to a great population of people,” Lynch said. “The football is the same. What wins or loses football games ... that’s the same at any level.”
Juice is Loose
A year ago, Illinois took its lumps with true freshman QB Juice Williams. But Williams also provided breathtaking highlights. There is some history with the Fighting Illini and young QBs.
In 1998, Kurt Kittner started as a true freshman and went 3-8. The next three years, Kittner led Illinois to three bowl games and the Big Ten title in 2001.
“Last year, there were so many things going through Juice’s head, he didn’t know if (the ball) was blown up or stuffed,” Zook said. “The most exciting thing is he knows he has a long way to go. ... His demeanor on the field is one of confidence.”
Carr Retirement?
Carr has brushed aside questions all preseason about his future, and he refused to directly answer whether or not he plans to return next season. The subject came up again Tuesday.
“The most important thing for me is to give my very best to our team, our staff and our program,” Carr said. “I think the repetitive nature of (questions) is something I’ll have to deal with. I don’t know that it’s annoying. It’s certainly an issue that is there. I don’t have the control to deal with it other than to respond to questions as best I can.
“I’m excited about this season and this team.”
I Know You
When Ohio State plays Youngstown State on Saturday, two former high school teammates will be captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss. Kirk Barton of Ohio State and Bob Perez of Youngstown State were teammates at Perry.
“I already know how I’m going to call it,” Barton said of the coin toss. “It rhymes with never fails.”
Quick Hits
Illinois took a “cooling off” trip to nearby Rantoul Water Park last week as a surprise break for players during two-a-days. ... The 9,000-plus members of the John Purdue Club at Purdue contributed $6 million in 2006-07. ... There is no agreement between Time Warner Cable and the Big Ten Network to carry the conference’s new station. Earlier this week, BTN announce that Comcast was unlikely to carry BTN this season.
Reach Canton Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or todd.porter@cantonrep.com.